The Ten Most Perfectly Cast Superhero Roles

There are currently 87 million more superhero movies in the works right now, and we’ll be treated to a new batch of them this spring. But before we see Thor, Captain America and a batch of new X-Men, I wanted to take a look back to see the genre’s greatest successes.

These ten actors I believe are the best examples of perfect casting in superhero movies. It’s got a lot to do with looks, but demeanor and personality as well, as it can be hard to take a character from the pages of a comic book to a movie screen. I think these ten actors were the best fit for their parts, though sometimes the movies they were in didn’t live up to their abilities.

Check them out below:

10. Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

Yeah, Origins might have been terrible, but you can’t tell me there’s a better actor to play Deadpool. His character got ravaged by this idiotic plot, but hopefully someday he’ll get his own movie with Reynolds. I never understood him being cast as Green Lantern, which I think is a role he’s far less suited for.

9. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach (Watchmen)

Yes, you might not see his face for more than a few seconds, but Earle’s menacing Rorschach managed to perfectly translate the character from the book to the screen. His gravelly voice brought the distressed font and speech bubbles from the comic to life, and I think they couldn’t have found a better man for the part that this Oscar nominee.

8. Ron Perlman as Hellboy (Hellboy 1-2)

Again, another role with a hidden face, but no one else could pull off Hellboy the way Perlman did. He has the giant head yes, but his attitude and demeanor really brought the character to life onscreen.

7. Christopher Reeves as Superman (Superman 1-4)

There’s a reason we’re having trouble finding a convincing new Superman today, it’s because no one can do it better than Reeves. His costume looks like pajamas sure, but in terms of attitude and looks, he can’t be beat. RIP.

6. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (X-Men 1-3, Origins)

I maintain that while his character has been treated like shit through most of the X-Men movies, especially in his own installment, Jackman is in fact the perfect face and body for the role. I look forward to seeing the character finally get the movie he deserves when Darren Aronofsky directs his new film.

5. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man 1-2)

UPDATE: OK, I had to sub RDJ in for Danny Devito here because I just plain forgot about him when I first wrote this post, and this was too good of casting not to have in the list. Downey Jr. MADE the movie, and without his portrayal of cocky billionaire Stark, Iron Man would have never been the surprise hit that it was.

4. Heath Ledger as The Joker (The Dark Knight)

Yeah, yeah, I probably should put him higher as no one else here has even come close to winning an OSCAR for their portrayal of a comic book hero or villain. We all know Ledger’s Joker is outstanding, and he defied all of our expectations to become one of the most memorable onscreen villains in movie history.

I was tempted to put the entire cast of X-Men in this spot. There are so many other roles perfectly cast in these movies, it’s like the fans themselves did the choosing. Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Iceman, Mystique, Beast all have actors that suit them perfectly. The script on the other hand is what needed the work.

But yes, I think the two best casting calls by far were the two leads of each mutant group, Professor X and Magneto, played expertly by a pair of thespians whose talent far outshined the movies they were in.

1. J.K Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (Spider-Man 1-3)

You’re goddamn right. Out of everyone on this list, there is no better page-to-screen translation than J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson. Their first names are both “J.” for crying out loud! But besides that, the character was a perfect representation of Peter Parker’s boss, and the best casting decision in the history of superhero movies. I don’t want to hear it, not up for debate.

About The Author

Paul

I think I'm a part of the first generation of journalists to skip print media entirely, and I've learned a lot these last few years at Forbes. My work has appeared on TVOvermind, IGN, and most importantly, a segment on The Colbert Report at one point.

http://www.tabbi.net tabbi

You forgot Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman! He effin IS Tony Stark!

Gank

Agreed on Green Lantern making little to no sense for Ryan Reynolds. He just screams The Flash, maybe even moreso than Deadpool.

Excellent list, good to see DeVito get some props. I’m a huge fan of Bale’s Batman, and Pfieffer’s Catwoman, but I can buy other actors as those characters too. Not so with Perlman and Hellboy. Once he is done, so is Hellboy.

john

JK SIMONS AS 1 = TRUTH

Jim

Every time I hear the word “slander” I think, Hey. I resent that! In print it’s called lible. He really was the best in those movies.

truant

I think RDJ as Tony Stark is right up there. No one could have played that role better. No one.

And I agree with the nod to the other X-Men in there. Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin (in addition to the ones named above)…they were all such perfect picks for their characters (despite some script shortfalls) that I have a hard time thinking of anyone else in that role. I don’t know if anyone could ever do those roles better. X-3 and Origins both sucked terribly, but it’s still awesome to see those actors/actresses playing those roles EXACTLY how I always pictured them.

Reynolds can be put back on when he gets the deadpool movie, he appeared like 5 seconds on the horrible Origins.

JB

Excellent list. So you didnt like Nicholson as the Joker? I thought he did a great job. I probably wouldnt put him on this list either but for the time that was a dark realisitic movie even if it seems a little silly now.

Also I think Michael Chickless as the thing in those FF movies was excellent casting as well. I dont know if he should take a spot on this list but an honorable mention from me.

Adam Johnson

#1 is the right choice. I think that one of the reasons I would put him as #1 as well is the amount of energy one would have to put out just to get playing ol’ J.J.J. right.

I also agree with tabbi, Jr. should have been on this. He would be a close second for me.

Stacy

Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon!

Joey

Whenever I see J.K Simmons, I think of the character Schillinger that he played on Oz. He will forever be that character for me, he was that good in the role.

Josh

This should have been a tie between J.K. Simmons and Ron Perlman. Those two have absolutely defined those characters.

Actually, that is an all out lie. Samuel L. Jackson should be number one by default since the character he is playing was actually modeled after him in the first place.

Sam

While ian mckellan is an excellent actor, I hated him as magneto. He was far too small to pull off the role of this super villain. Look at all iterations of the character and he’s a pretty imposing figure. Hugh jackman is also too tall for wolverine. Acting Wise he’s pretty spot on but physically he’s too tall and looks to lean. And why do you lump all x-men together like that? Sure the last 2 were pretty awful but the first two are good with the second one in particular being excellent.
Finally, without RDJ this list is incomplete. He absolutely owns that role. Oh yeah and samuel l. Jackson was spot on, considering the character model was specifically based on him. Just Sayin’
All that being said this is a very good list and interesting topic. Keep up the good work.

el_terrible

Hugh jackman was a terrrible wolverine
He’s supposed to be small and far more muscular
Jackman is just far too average.

Jackson Briggs

I ACTUALLY agree with your choice for number 1! I felt the exact same way when I initially saw him in that role. I thought, “Brilliant casting!”

JB

@el_terrible His size and frame may have not been to “exact comic book specifications” but his acting definitly nailed the charecter down. As an actor he nailed the role and thats really all you can ask for in casting.

elnino

YES TO J. Jonah being #1, man, I hope the new films either bring back J.K. Simmons as Jonah or never bring in the character again because frankly nobody could do it better.

As others have said Downey, Jr. should have been somewhere on this list. Other than that, I pretty much agree with everything said here.

And yeah Evans and Chikliss as Johnny Storm and The Thing are dead ringers and the only enjoyable parts of those films.

Halle Berry as Storm: She looked the part alright, not the greatest, I think they should have went with someone slightly more unknown because man it bit them in the ass later.

Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman (Sue Storm): Yeah, Jessica Alba as a scientist. Not only does she absolutely not look the part, she’s too young and too hot, and completely unbelievable.

Shawn Ashmore who played Iceman: This is more of the scripts fault, but Shawn could have spiced up his performance a bit, Iceman is much more fun-loving and they showed him as a super-serious, sensitive guy…Wolvie got all the fun-loving scenes in most of the movies. On the other hand, I thought the kid who played Pyro was fantastic.

http://nope Hallam

Awesome post. I don’t want to imagine a world where people don’t agree with JK Simmons being freaking BORN to play that one role. When I’m wasted and Spiderman is on, I usually wait for Jameson to show up and freak the hell out of me.

Also, I agree with “Remove Reynolds Deadpool and insert Robert Downey Jr. Ironman, and you’ve got a deal.”

My only complaint: This list lacks Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. C’mon, who else has that face, actor or any human for that matter? If someone had nicknamed him “goblin” way before Spiderman, I still would’ve said “sure”.

http://www.unrealitymag.com Paul Tassi

Yeah, I had to actually update the post because I forgot about RDJ’s Stark, which was too good to not include. I swapped out DeVito because I stand by Reynolds as Deadpool being dead on.

Jbo

Than you’re an idiot. Ryan Reynolds is a terrible choice for anything, especially Deadpool. I hope you kind of die.

Dzuksi

No Wesley Snipes as Blade!!? Really?!

coco

Reynolds is a terrible Deadpool, not wacky and manic enough. My pick for Deadpool is Sean William Scott, the guy would be perfect for the roll. He’s a loud mouth, obnoxious and has a distinctive voice.

AC

you’re kind of harsh on the X-movies… the first two were great. They are both genuinely good movies, not even “for a superhero adaptation” kind of good. X-men 3 and Wolverine were trash however. Man were they ever trash.

jaromir

Have to totally agree with R.R at #10 and not understanding his choice in GL….so totally think he should be Wally West.

Honorable mention would be Christian Bale portrail of Bruce Wayne….his Batman is just “meh” to me.

JB

@ Dzuksi Good call on Wesly Snipes. Totally forgot about him but that was good casting.

Mindstormy

Sean William Scott as Deadpool = win, but only if Ashten Kutcher is Cable

Sylkmatic

What about Dolph Lundgren as the punisher Like that wasnt the greatest casting decision ever…

http://unreality BillyBob

Wesley Snipes – Blade.

Bill Bixby or Edward Norton – David Banner.

I also thought Tobey Mcguire made a fantastic spiderman.

Arnold – Conan the Barbarian.

greg

the first x-men movies are not genuinely good

BobaFett

Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm “The Thing”.

I was watching No Ordinary Family and kept seeing him as the Thing is THAT show.

Steve

Normally I’d shout “OVER-RATED” when anyone brings up Ledger as Joker, but since Bale isn’t on the list as the Bat, I’ll let it slide. Man, I nearly shat my pants when I heard Bale would be playing the Bat. I got so excited, only to end up laughing at his Batman voice the first time I saw it. Once he said (more like grumbled) “Where were the other drugs going?” I started laughing. I thought “Ok, they may have shot this early on, and Bale didn’t have the voice “down” yet, and over-acted it a bit. Surely for the sequel they’ll tone it down right?”

Right?

John W

Linda Carter as Wonder Woman.

chelsea

@Jbo – how does one “kind of die”?

Orleanas

I disagree with your inclusion of Halle Berry as Storm as a good casting move in the X-Men films. My friends and I think she is the worst casting choice as Storm. She is not…bad ass enough. Halle seems week in the role of a character who seems to have magnetism, power and strength. Halle just seems physically weak in the role…granted I am basing my assessment on the 1990s animated series, but I can’t stand to see Halle as Storm.

I second #coco on his nomination of Sean William Scott as Deadpool. Great call. I actually like SWS and wish him a good career.

I agree. Ian was not right for Magneto, neither was Halle for Storm. The ones they got right for (x-men) were prof. x, wolvie, beast, nightcrawler. All other characters could’ve been done better by someone else in the role.
Also, what about Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl???

I think Blade was the only character I didn’t have an issue with (movie wise).

I still laugh at that Nicholas Hammond Spiderman when he shoots the web and some PA throws a cargo net on the bad guy.

Lets see how Thor and Cap do, hopefully better than those other craptasrophies.

Mikey

I am so glad you didn’t include Tobey Mcguire as Spiderman on this list. Many of my friends thought he did a great job as Spiderman. I did too, when I first saw them in theaters. Then I rewatched them and realized that I hate Tobey Mcguire. He’s such a little faggoty bitch. He has no wit and he’s only ripped (and “tough”) because he’s in the movie. I hate him so much.

Also, Iceman was horribly miscast in the movies…although his shitty character could be because of script problems. I don’t remember Iceman being such a wimpy bastard

http://matthuliz.multiply.com/ matthuliz

1st of all, your title says “… Superhero Roles”, JJ Jameson is not a superhero. Why is he on top?

I disagree on these:
1. Heath Ledger’s Joker – Because Jack Nicholson’s Joker is closer to the comicbook version. Did Ledger’s Joker crack a single joke in the movie? Yeah, I don’t think so.
2. Ian McKellen’s Magneto – Great voice and acting, but he’s physically weak and not menacing enough. There are many old actors who can do better.
3. Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool – Yes, he’s the only one worth watching in the movie, but just like the movie, his Deadpool is just wrong.

I would have included:
1. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man – Most of the haters say he’s not funny nor witty, but once the new Emo Spider-Man comes out, they will start saying I miss Tobey as Spider-Man.
2. Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman – The reason why WW is not yet being made into a movie: No one’s better than Lynda.
3. Edward’s Blake The Comedian – Watchmen should get a honorable mention for having the perfect cast, and The Comedian is the most spot on!

mortualio

matt…watch the dark knight…there was all kinds of dark comedic gags…the pencil gag, the tryouts, the bit with the detonator…should i go on?

bastardjackyll

Jim Carrey as The Riddler?

Driveby

Christopher Reeve. There’s no ‘S’ at the end.

Maybe you’re thinking of Steve Reeves, who played Hercules?

EricaCV

I’m borderline on Ryan Reynolds for Deadpool. I foudn him kind of eh, but maybe I just associate him with romcoms too much at this point. He’s definitely not right for Green lantern…

While I agree about Stweart, McKellan, and Jackson in their respective x-men roles…I think some of the other characters were very poorly cast. ESPECIALLY Halle Berry as Storm.

http://the-reviewer.com TheReviewer

Never got into Hellboy. Couldn’t understand the fascination with it.

Beas

Thomas Jane as The Punisher deserves some respect

http://www.inspirational-bibleverses.com Isolino

Great list although some of those were not super heroes but rather villians.

Zeeshan

when I saw heath ledger at 4, I was going to cry foul. But J. J. was cast amazingly well. I really don’t think anybody can argue with it.

Twin Tiger

I gotta disagree with most of the cast for X-Men. Although the first two movies were great, none of the actors quite fit their comic book counterparts (with the exception of Patrick Stewart, of course; he was born to play Professor X). Wolverine was too tall (sorry, Hugh… you’re acting was great, but not quite the Logan from the comics) , Storm and Cyclops are too short, and most of the other cast were just off. But the general idea of the comics was done well. Kelsey Grammar was good as the Beast though.

I agree with the rest of the list, though. I’d even add, Wesley Snipes as Blade, and Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman.

Undies

what about gambit in origins dont know the guys name but he did a good job and i did like Liev Schreiber as sabretooth and tommy lee jones as 2 face that was the only redeeming factor of batman forever

http://eugenia.queru.com Eugenia

FULLY agreed on J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. In fact, when SpiderMan first came out, I was thinking of that exactly. I couldn’t believe it, it was like seeing the comic page coming out alive!

http://themidgetandme.blogspot.com/ after3

Your right. It’s too bad you didn’t have room for Danny Devito.

ewokburgers

Hugh Jackman is great, I enjoy watching him on screen, but not as Wolverine. Logan is rough around the edges, short, gruff and not technically what most would consider a “looker.” Far cry from Jackman. Character-wise, I’m always looking for Wolverine in the x-movies to be more ferocious, bring out the beast withi, and I hope Aronofsky represents him as such.

I’m a die hard X fan of over 20 years and although I enjoyed X2 a lot. The rest of them were easily forgettable, largely due to the cast. Xavier and Magneto were great, but everyone else fell flat and did nothing to help propel the franchise.

And no Nicholson as Joker? Shame. Before everyone got wrapped around the stigma of death intrinsically tied to Ledger and the release of TDK, Nicholson’s Joker and Burton’s Batmans set the standard for the nearly non-existent comic genre. How soon people forget…

abner

i too echo the sentiments of others who think reynolds is miscast as GL. He shouldve been the Flash for sure. When GL flops maybe third time’s the charm eh?

Nicholson and Ledger should be tied up for the spot at least. One is the more comical and the latter is more deranged/psychotic.

Also Deadpool? Really? At the end of the movie they sewed up his damn mouth, that’s not the wise-cracking Deadpool I’ve been hearing about.

Stewart was spot on as Prof X but Magneto as has been mentioned is a big guy not some old guy. Sure he’s supposed to have lived back in WW2 and I guess the timeline/age fits but Jim Lee’s Magneto will always be the iconic magneto for me.

Also I dont get the love for RDJ’s Iron Man. He was just playing himself not the character. Slapping on a beard doesnt mean he = instant Stark.

tl ;dr
Take out Deadpool and Iron Man, I’d rather have seen Nightowl, or Two-Face(TDK not BF)

Sammy Danger

Abner,

I’m gonna have to fight you on a few things. Nicholson may have been a more directly adaptive character, but the way ledger recreated it made it a “perfect casting call” in my opinion. And (respectfully) Robert Downey Jr. is probably my #2 pick as both directly adaptive and enjoyable to watch.

p.s. I love that JK Simmons was numero uno. agreed. soo agreed.

Dexter

Good list but along with a few others I do have to disagree regarding Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Don’t get me wrong, he does a good job with what he’s given. But the simple fact of the matter is that Wolverine is not a handsome, average height, Han Solo-esque rogue.

I didn’t really like the movie’s version of Magneto. He’s got the acting chops but not the look.

xxfgx

J. Jonah Jameson is not a superhero.

Brian

When I was reviewing for the now-defunct phillyout.com, I said Simmons’ performance “…jumped off the page and onto the screen, giving a fully dimensional life to a decidedly 2D character.”

I very much agree with most of your choices, though I probably wouldn’t have included Reynolds for Deadpool, because I think he’s going to cash in as Green Lantern. I would have included Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, instead.

Scot

What, no Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor or Willem Defoe as Green Goblin? How about Max Von Sydow as Ming the Mercyless? He was deliciously evil. And frankly, if you’re going to add Reynolds to the list you might as well add Peter Weller as Buckaroo Banzai. I think they’re about the same.

Anon

Ledger’s Joker was perfect for the dark and gritty world of Nolan’s Batman, but I have to agree that it lacked the comic evil genius portion of the Clown Prince of Crime. Jack’s Joker had an evil, murderous streak, but had the ridiculous as well.

That being said, I still think Heath Ledger’s performance as the Nolan universe Joker was phenomenal.

Alex

This list is perfect. ESPECIALLY the #1 choice. NO ONE else could shout “PARKER!!” as perfect as he could.

Fenix

Halle Berry as Storm was effin terrible – it should have been Angela Bassett IMHO.

I agree with the list (Go JJJ!) but it’s sad not to include some of the ones mentioned in the comments like Lou Ferrigno, Lynda Carter, Liev Schrieber, etc. Oh well, that’s why it’s a list and not an encyclopedia article.

If you include animated roles, I would totally have to put Kevin Conroy as Batman in the number 1. He is perfect!

Nightowl2548

While I’ve never read comic books, I do think that Jackman, Stewart, and MacKellon created very enjoyable characters in the X-men movies. Nobody can beat Christopher Reeve, he IS Superman to me. Though having rewatched the movies 30 years later I noticed how long, boring, and camp much of them are making Reeve’s performance the keystone. JK Simmons was good in his supporting role in Spiderman, though I too am not wild on Tobey Maguire’s “flakey” interpretation of the hero. As far as the Dark Knight…I hated it, it was too long and boring. It needed an editor as it was unfocused. I also didn’t think Ledger’s performance was anything spectacular, he seemed to me to be more channeling the psycho killer in Dirty Harry than the Joker. Jack Nichelson or Caesar Romero both did much better Joker’s in my book and though I never imagined Michael Keaton in the role, I like him more than Christian Bale’s “unlikeable jerk” version of Bruce Wayne. After seeing the Xmen: Evolution cartoon I also thought some of the supporting roles could have been done much better in the movies. The goth chick version of Rogue was a more entertaining character than what Anna Pacquin gave us, Storm was clearly a role made for an Angela Basset type actress, and the dominatrix Mystique would have been better than a model naked painted up like a blue lizard, imagine someone like Gina Gershon in that role.

Robin

You know, as awesome as Heath Ledger was as the Joker, his portrayal wasn’t anything like the comic book character.

Anonymous Androgynous

Ryan Reinolds? Really? I mean, really? He sucks. And this comes from a Deadpool fan, not a person that only saw Origins. I don’t want him as Deadpool, as simple as that, i hope they get a better actor. Besides, choosing to play Hal Jordan over Wade Wilson, what kind of person does that?

Tina

I think James Marsden did a good job as Cyclops and you wouldn’t think so because they didn’t give Cyclops enough screen time but I will say that James Marsden wasn’t bad ass enough to play Cyclops.

Anonymous Androgymous,
Why would you say that Ryan Reynolds is a bad Deadpool and then turn around and get offended when he plays Hal Jordan. Either, you want him as Deadpool or not. He’s the actor anyway, so he can play Green Lantern if he wants. It’s not your decision, so quit whining.

jake

I soooo soooo soooo agree with number 1
anything else I dsagree with any other list gets blown away just cause you made that number 1.
Simmons was pitch perfect JJ

Nevis

It’s REEEVE not Reeves!!!!

Joe

I’m sorry, but nobody (and I mean NOBODY) was ever more perfectly cast in a superhero movie than Patrick Stewart as Professor X. They had that role picked out more than a decade before the film was made, and I’m totally convinced that the tone of the character in the comics and cartoon was tweaked ever so slightly just to better fit Stewart’s persona.

As much as I liked JK Simmons, it isn’t even close.

http://brommeldesigns.com brian

@BillyBob You mean Bruce Banner

Jeffrey

Call me a sentimentalist, but I have to agree with Reeve being the best actor to have ever played a superhero. He had me believing him all the way through the Superman films–even when the films themselves faded in script and plot quality with each successive one.
I like Christian Bale a lot–but in other movies. Ledger, as the Joker, certainly made The Dark Knight (a film I really didn’t care for) more interesting.
I must admit that I’m not that much a fan of recent superhero films anyway because the directors won’t “idealize” the superheros and, instead, try to make them like us: mentally troubled. I think that part of being a superhero is very much about being able to rise above mental/emotional/personality issues and to be someone to look up to. In my opinion, most superheros in movies that have been made over the past 20 years haven’t done that. Directors and moviegoers alike want them to be “real” (as in really troubled, psychotic and/or cynical) instead of them being a pleasant escape from our world that already gives us more than enough examples of those negative personal qualities.

rick

what is that based on joe?so youre telling me patrick stuart was chosen to play dr xavier in 1986 87 88 89? before star trek tng was even on tv ?before x men was filmed in 1999?youre stating youreown heresay as facts.or its hyperbole to express how perfect he was for the role.like saying somebody was born to play such and such role.

http://www.studywithglobal.com/ Ryan

I really should there are more space position such as 30 superhero

http://altavistacanadahealth.com/ Benny

why Christian Bale do not make it to the list? He is the most suitable actor to play the Batman role compare to all previous actor who play it..

Russell

I have never and will never understand why so many people give Christian Bale so much stick for his deep voice. If your mate put on a mask and tried to hide his identity but didn’t change his voice when you spoke to him you would immediately realise who he was. Bruce Wayne is one of , if not the most famous man in Gotham, every one in the whole bloody city would figure out who he is as soon as he said “im batman” in his normal voice.